Safety device for elevators.



BIO-828,307. PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

EFDUNKERLEY, JR.

SA FETY DEVICE FORELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED no. 5'. 1905.

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No- 828,307. PATENTED AUG. 14,-1906.

B. DUNKERLEY, JR- SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED D120. 5. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

ENOOH DUNKERLEY, J R., OF VILAS, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS. I

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

Application filed December 5, 1905. Serial No. 290.3 71- .To all whom,it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ENOCH DUNKERLEY, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Vilas, in the county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSafety Devices for Elevators; and I do hereby declarethe following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in safety appliances forelevators, and has for its object to produce a device of this characterlocated at the bottom of the elevator-cage and controlled by thesupporting rope or cable, so that when the latter breaks the safetydevices will immediately become operative to stop and hold the elevator.

With this and other objects in view the invention consists in certainparts, improvements, and combinations, as will be more fully hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims hereunto appended.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificationand in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts, Figure1 is a side elevation of a portion of an elevator shaft and cageprovided with my improved safety devices, the latter being held out ofengagement with the side rails of the shaft by the taut cable. Fig. 2 isa similarview illustrating a broken or slack cable or rope, the safetydevices being shown as wedged into frictional engagement with the siderails of the elevator-shaft; and Fig. 3 is a detail top plan view of theeccentric wedging or gripping devices and their supporting In theembodiment of the invention selected for illustration, 1 indicates theordinary guides or rails of an elevator-shaft. 2 indicates theelevator-cage, and 3 the guides carried by the elevator-cage andengaging the rails 1, all of which parts may be of any approvedconstruction.

The elevator-cage is adapted to be raised or lowered by means of a ropeor cable 4, the same passing over any suitable pulley at the top of theelevator-shaft and the end of the cable being connected to any suitablesource of ower.

l arious kinds of stopping or friction gripping devices may be used tocontrol the elevator. In the form which has been selected I toillustrate the invention the elevator-cage central iece 5 and alsopointing downward,-

as clear y shown in the drawings. In these ends are ournaled theeccentric wedging or gripping devices, which in the present in stanceare formed of two disks 7 7, connected together by means of acentrally-disposed hub 8. This form of gripping device I have found tobe preferable for the reason that it takes a better hold of the siderails. The disks 7 7, as is usual, are serrated along a portion of theiredges, so as to more readily grip the rails in stopping the elevator incase of the cable breaking.

Bolted or otherwise secured to the top frame of the elevator-cage arebrackets 9 9, to which are pivoted, as at 10 10, the levers 11 11,saidolevers being connected together by means of a block 12, which formsa art of the suspendin -rod 13. The suspen ingrod 13 is mounte to movevertically through the top frame of the elevatorcage and has secured toit at its upper end the'supportingcable 4. The outer ends of theselevers 11 11 are pivotally connected to vertically-disposed rods 14 14,which are in turn pivotally secured to the eccentric-grippin devices ata point to one side of their journa s.

It is to be noted that one of the essential features of this inventionis the means for o crating the eccentric gripping devices at tl feproper timethat is to say, when the cable breaks; The means hereinprovided consists of the extensible or telescoping rods 15 and 16, whichconnect the eccentric wedging devices and which, in combination with aspring 17, coiled about said rods and interposed between an adjustablecollar 18 on the rod 15 and a similar collar 19 on the rod 16, serve toforce the said rods apart and with them the eccentric gripping devices,so that the said gri ping devices firmly grip the guides or rai s andhold the elevator in the event the cable should break or become slackfor any reason.

When the elevator is in the normal running position, as shown in Fig. 1,the elevator-cage is suspended from the taut ropeor cable 4, whichcauses the suspension-rod 13 to remain at the upward limit of itsmovement against the tensionof the spring 17, so that the levers 1111are held at a slight angle with respect to each other and the eccentricgripping devices are held out of contact with or away from the verticalguides or rails of the elevator-shaft. In the event the rope or cableshould break or become slack from any reason whatever the spring 17 willquickly force the two telescoping rods apart and with them the'eccentric gripping devices, so that the said devices will be broughtinto contact with the faces of the side rails of the elevator-shaft andby the continued pressure of the spring securely wedged and tightly heldagainst the rails, whereby the elevator-cage is suspended and preventedfrom falling and causing dama e.

Many changes may be made in the details of the various constructionsemployed for carrying out this invention. It will be understood,therefore, that the invention is not to be limited to the specificdetails of construction, but embraces such changes therein as fallwithin its spirit and scope.

What I claim is 1. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combinationwith an elevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for thecage or car, gripping devices at opposite sides of the car to engageadjacent parts of the shaft, means connecting the gripping devices forop erating the same, comprising a plurality of extensible membersnormally held collapsed but adapted to be instantly extended at the timethe cable breaks, and a spring adapted to extend said members inapplying the gripping devices.

2. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, 'of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, eccentricallymounted gripping devices at opposite sides of thelower portion of the car to engage adjacent parts of the shaft,telescoping rods connecting the gripping de vices, an adjustable collaron each rod, and a spring coiled about said rods and interposed betweenthe said collars, whereby the rods are forced apart to apply thegripping devices in the event the cable should break.

3. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, eccentrically-mounted gripping devices on said car in position toengage adj acent parts of the shaft when applied, and

means for applying the gripping devices when the cable breaks, saidgripping devices comprising a plurality of disks each havinggripping-faces.

4. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, eccentrically-mounted gripping devices for said car so positionedas to engage adjacent parts of the shaft when applied, and

means for applying the gripping devices when the cable breaks, saidgripping devices comprising a plurality of connected disks each havinggripping-faces.

5. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, a gripping device carried by said car, means for operating thegripping device, comprising a plurality of extensible members normallyheld collapsed but adapted to be instantly extended at the time thecable breaks, and means for extending the members in applying thegripping device.

6. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, gripping devices at opposite sides of the car to engage adjacentparts of the shaft, extensible means connecting the gripping devices foroperating the same, comprising a plurality of telescoping sectionsnormally collapsed but adapted to be instantly extended in the event thecable should break, and a spring coiled about said telescoping sectionsand serving to extend the same in the event the operating-cable shouldbreak, thereby applying the gripping devices.

7. In a safety attachment for elevators, the combination with anelevator-shaft and a cage or car, of an operating-cable for the cage orcar, gripping devices carried by said car to engage adjacent parts ofthe shaft, an extensible rod connecting the gripping devices, a springfor extending the rod in applying the gripping devices, and anadjustable stop for varying the tension of the spring.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ENOCH DUNKERLEY, JR.

Witnesses:

J os. M. HUNT, A. D. BINGMAN.

